Mansa Musa, emperor of the Mali Empire, is widely regarded as the richest man in history. He was exceptionally wealthy to an extent that historians have struggled to quantify it accurately. Though the ...

However, Mansa Musa was wealthier than the combined fortunes of Forbes' top five richest billionaires.But how did he amass such wealth? National Geographic reports that he ruled the kingdom of ...

Mansa Musa was the ninth Mansa ... He is now thought to be the richest person who ever lived. "Contemporary accounts of Musa's wealth are so breathless that it's almost impossible to get a sense ...

and Mansa Musa was among the world's richest individuals. READ MORE: 'My job offer was withdrawn for a totally unfair reason — now I'm suing' READ MORE: Boeing ends production of legendary ...

Musa's reign brought immense prosperity to the region, and he earned the title of the richest man ever. The primary sources of Mansa Musa's wealth were the gold and salt mines in the Mali Empire.

That's a whole lot of money, and a fortune most people can only dream of, but Mansa Musa was wealthier than the Forbes' five richest billionaires combined. But how, exactly, did he get so rich?

According to National Geographic, he ruled the kingdom of Mali from 1312 C.E. to 1337 C.E. During his reign, Mali was one of the richest kingdoms of Africa, and Mansa Musa was among the richest ...